Whats the most tedious part and how do you make it easier?

[JimRayden]

Although offboard wiring is quite a chore, I think I'm going to have to vote for cramming all of that stuff into a tiny box. It really is a "paint in the a#$" as Scott would say.

-Joe

I must say it's one of the best things about DIY stompboxing - you get to design the layout and when it all fits inside a tiny box like a glove, it feels damn good.

-----------
Jimbo

[aron]

I hate off-board wiring......

I really love wiring up the board and then it's just drudgery after that.

Aron

[Connoisseur of Distortion]

and here i was, thinking i was crazy for hating wiring... 

it takes me like 2 hours to wire up an average, 3 pot pedal. i don't know why. i think it's because i just sit there and stare at it for minutes at a time...

[wampcat1]

A way to makethe wiring job easier is to use teminal blocks to hold the wires in place instead of soldering them. You solder them directly on the PCB and insert the wire in the side hole and just screw the screw on top of it to firmly hold it. huahuahua. The good thing is that if your need to repair it some day you don't need to desolder the wires, and it gives a nice finish to the PCB. They can be bought in a lot of configurations of wire sockects from 2 to "who knows how many". It get's easier to mesure the wire inside the stompbox either making it less messy. you all should try it.

here they are

http://www.electroniccomponents.globalsources.com/gsol/I/Terminal-block/p/2000000003868/3000000157668/sm/1001136864.htm

Sounds like a GREAT idea, especially for us who build tons of these!! 
The real question is this, though:
How does it affect the tone?! Are there gold plated thing a majiggers?




bw

[deadsnake]

Well it doesn't affect tone I guees. But it makes things easier in a future time change/mod or in troubleshoot your PCB like desolderind components without having to desolder the wires. I don't know about you guys but I have a lot of head ache removing and soldering componentes without removing the board out of the enclosure.

[Pushtone]

One tedious part I eliminated was painting. How?...
There's this small two man powder coating business in the industrial park were I work. One morning I just stopped in with a 1590B and asked how much to paint it. They laughed at me. Then they took the box and told me to come back at five pm to pick it up. He was doing silver that day and I got a great finish for free. The next day I showed up again, but this time with six enclosures and a large box of dounuts and coffees. Now I have silver, white, black, and yellow boxes.

I don't think I'll ever paint another stompbox.

[Pushtone]

Paper templates make getting parts into small boxes easier and drilling percise.
I reworked R.G.'s Geofex paper template ...

http://www.geofex.com/FX_images/hmbbtpt.pdf

...for more sizes,
I have templates for 1590A, B, BB and SB's Wild Mouse (125A??).
PM me if anyone would like one.
You'll need an image editor like Adobe Ill., Corel Draw, Freehand, Acrobat Pro to use it.
Or you can cut and tape a template together.

But I guess I need more pratice using it. These leads could be a lot shorter
Guess this ones going to be a cram job

[mojotron]

Paper templates make getting parts into small boxes easier and drilling percise.
...

Wow Pushtone, you plan ahead. I have a template for drilling 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 pot electrical box tops and some 1590 enclosures - kind of like this:



Usually I don't label things as above - I generally just have the holes layed out, but what I do is I print this template out, spray-glue it to what I'm drilling, then I use a punch to set the hole, then start drilling. The I wash them with acetone.. And they turn out like this:



So, when I'm in the mood I just make 10+ of the electrical box tops at a time.
Also, when I'm in the mood I will populate a bunch of boards.
Same goes with wiring things up.. I typically find it more rewarding to build 3-4 things at a time and do each part when I am motivated and I don't try to get everything done at one time either.

Here's some that are painted:
http://www.mojotronics.com/images/al_side.jpg

I find that it's more "work" to make a project if I build things one at a time. By queuing things up in sort of an assembly line, I get a rhythm going and things keep moving.

Once in a while when I have to build something to order, then I'll do everything at one time, and that seems to take more time as well.

[mojotron]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only teeth stripper out there.
...

I used to do that too many years ago, but these days I use an exacto-knife and just roll the wire end over the razor edge and the insulation pops right off.

I guess, for me, the tedious part of building pedals is tweaking/customizing the sound/components to get exactly the sound I want - but only when things aren't going right  and/or I have to get things done quickly. A lot of times when I get stuck I end up simulating a lot of stuff in SuperSpice, if that does not help - I have to put it on the shelf for a week or so to collect my thoughts - and that gets frustrating.

[jrem]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only teeth stripper out there.
...

I used to do that too many years ago, but these days I use an exacto-knife and just roll the wire end over the razor edge and the insulation pops right off.

yes, many years ago, and in a pinch, I have been known to do that, too.  But then I discovered razor knives.  Then I discovered a wire stripping tool that Rectum Shack sells for less than five bucks, works great . . .  has a little set screw for a stop, so you set it to a best guess, then adjust for the wire you're using, works great.

Oh, yeah . . .  my most tedious task?  probably designing circuit boards, followed by redesigning that same circuit board, followed by redesigning that same circuit board . . .

[calpolyengineer]

I must say it's one of the best things about DIY stompboxing - you get to design the layout and when it all fits inside a tiny box like a glove, it feels damn good.

I totally agree. I have just learned the hard way that all of the advanced planning pays off.

-Joe

[brett]

Hi.
Off-board wiring is a pain.

For me, the worst part is marking out and drilling the case. Dull and tedious, and at this time of year, cold.

I use a metal template.  In my opinion, it's better than a paper template because it has lugs to physically locate the box.  It takes me a total of about 3 minutes to drill any box.  Any because the switch, led, pots are in standard locations, it is quick and easy to modify one of my standard 1, 2 or 3 knob decal graphics to suit the box.
cheers

[birt]

the drilling is a pain in the ass, i really need a fixed drill.
offboard wiring is no problem for me, i'm allways thinking PCB mounted pots and switches make solder connections break a lot easier.

[brett]

Hi.
Besides a template, I use another really simple aid to drilling.  I have three pieces of wood glued to my bench, forming an upside-down U shape.  They hold the box and template steady while I drill.  Without even thinking about it or measuring anything, the holes are within about 1/32" of where they should be.  It took 5 minutes to make.  Every time I use it I think "This is great.  Why didn't I make that thing earlier?"
cheers

[mojotron]

Hi.
Besides a template, I use another really simple aid to drilling. 
...

brett, do you have a picture. BTW - thanks for sharing your schematics on your site - I have gotten a lot of good ideas from there.

[Connoisseur of Distortion]

i am really interested in this U-shaped wood thing. i have some difficulty making my dots where i want them. i have an error distance of about 1/8" 

[studiostud]

One thing I'm trying out currently is printing the drill marks right on the graphic image.  I am working with a guy to screen print the graphics onto the pedal and by printing the hole marks, I don't have to worry about the holes not lining up perfectly.  Then I'll spray a layer of clear coat on the pedal to protect the printed graphic, drill my holes, and spray with some more clear coat and then a layer of glossy minwax to make it bulletproof. 

Two tools that have made my pedal making life a little more glorious... a table top, laser guided drill press (can be found at most big box hardware store chains for around $120)... and a Dremel Workstation which allows me to use my dremel like a small profile drill press.  You can buy a mini jacobs style chuck attachment that will hold the tiny drill bits for the PCB and with the shear speed of the dremel, the bits just go through that fiberglass board like a hot knife through butter.

[studiostud]

Forgot my other MVP (most valuable purchase)...  a Wilton portable rubber vise clamp.  $20-30 at most large hardware stores.  It holds everything from PCBs to pots, jacks, switches... anything you need to stay put while you're soldering onto it.  I couldn't do what I do with any sort of sanity without it.




This tool is proof that God shows favor toward DIYers. 

[studiostud]

One other tedious thing that I dislike is the combination of fitting everything in a box and soldering wires to components that are already mounted in the enclosure.  To remedy this, what I did was make a "mock" enclosure jig out of wood with holes for all the components.  Then I just put all the components in and wire them up without the limitation of space from the enclosure walls.  If you want to be more creative, go to a lumber yard and ask to root through their scrap bin.  Find several blocks that will work and you can make one for each pedal.  What I do is, after I've drilled the enlosure, I'll turn it around, put it on top of the wood and use a pencil to outline the different hole locations.  Then when you put the components in, you have the layout exactly like it will be in the enclosure so you can cut wires to the perfect length.

Here's an example of one I did for an EQ pedal...

[MikeH]

I'll be the first here to say:

'I actually enjoy the off-board wiring part' - MikeH

[*the crown gasps*]   

The parts I hate: Drilling pcbs, and painting enclosures (which is why I pretty much just use pre-powdercoated enclosures 100% of the time now)